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Jackson Asks Football Players To Protest Confederate Flag

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called on the players in next week's Super Bowl to wear the American flag on their helmets to protest the Confederate battle flag contained within Georgia's state banner.

"As we approach the Super Bowl game, we're in the awkward and disgraceful position of playing the Super Bowl game--the most watched event in America--under the Confederate flag," Jackson said Monday.

However, the National Football League will not allow players to alter their uniforms during Sunday's game in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

"While we understand the concerns raised by this issue, we are not a political advocacy group," NFL spokesman Joe Browne said. "We are a football league in Atlanta to play our championship game, and our rules prohibit the wearing of any item on game day related to political causes or activities."